Muscat: The police in Oman are keen to spread awareness among low-income unskilled Asian workers about the risks of crossing roads across the country at random. “A lot of Indians as well as Far Eastern Asians put their lives at risk by crossing roads anywhere,” Brigadier Mohammed Bin Awadh Al Rawas, Director General of Traffic with the Royal Oman Police (ROP), told Gulf News.
Gulf | Oman
Campaign launched on dangers of jaywalking
Newcomers from Asia unaware of speed of vehicles here, says traffic police chief
- By Sunil K. Vaidya Bureau Chief
- Published: 15:18 January 1, 2013
He urged media, especially vernacular papers from Indian and other Asian countries, to spread awareness about the difference in speed of vehicles in their villages and here. “They are ignorant about the speed of vehicles in our country and they are not used to such high speed,” he said, adding that most make an error in judgement and lose their lives.
“We would urge them to use pedestrian bridges or underground pedestrian crossings,” he said.
The traffic police in Oman has printed awareness pamphlets in several Indian languages, including Urdu and Bengali.
However, Brigadier Al Rawas feels that the regional media in the respective country can play a role in spreading awareness about the risks of crossing roads in this part of the world where cars travel at a much higher speed.
“Please highlight this issue as there’s a significant rise in poor workers getting killed while dashing across main thoroughfares,” he said.
News Editor's choice
-
Faith healers charged with murder
US couple ignored court order to seek medical care for their children
-
Interview with Aminatta Forna
The author of ‘The Hired Man’ is amazed by how little it takes for people to turn evil, or just look away — and stay in denial after that
-
How women can have it all
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has enraged both sexes with her new book on women and work